nullificationhttp://www.pfaw.org/
Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:35:00 -0500Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:34:31 -0500GOP Lawmaker Hopes To Put Utah Constitution Ahead Of U.S. Constitutionhttp://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/gop-lawmaker-hopes-put-utah-constitution-ahead-us-constitution
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<p>Yesterday, Utah&rsquo;s Republican-led House Revenue and Taxation Committee approved a measure to rewrite the oaths taken by state officials by &ldquo;amending the language to put the Utah Constitution ahead of the U.S. Constitution in the oath.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The Salt Lake Tribune <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/2137144-155/lawmakers-utah-should-be-first-feds">reports</a> that state Rep. Brian Greene led the fight to &ldquo;change the oath of office and require elected officials to swear to defend Utah's Constitution first, ahead of the U.S. Constitution.&rdquo; Greene insisted that he wanted the oath to reflect &ldquo;our duty as state legislators to first and foremost uphold the Constitution and make sure the federal Constitution does not run roughshod over the state Constitution.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Greene, who recently raised eyebrows with his suggestion that a married man who has sex with his wife while she is unconscious <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/2136918-155/utah-lawmakers-debate-how-to-define">should not be charged with rape</a>, <a href="http://briangreeneld57.nationbuilder.com/what_i_really_said">says on his website</a> that he wants to amend the U.S. Constitution with a Countermand Amendment to allow states to <a href="http://utahpoliticalcapitol.com/2014/12/22/flagged-bill-hjr-3-joint-resolution-calling-for-a-convention-of-the-states-for-the-sole-purpose-of-proposing-a-countermand-amendment-to-the-united-states-constitution-rep-merrill-nelson/"> nullify federal laws </a> they don&rsquo;t like and effectively overturn the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/supremacy_clause">Supremacy Clause</a>.</p>
<p>The Republican lawmaker has also tried to give local sheriffs the authority to <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/utah-yet-another-state-getting-in-on-the-gun-secession-movement">arrest federal officials</a> for enforcing gun laws.</p>
<p>The state House and Senate must approve the measure with a two-thirds majority in order to put the constitutional change up for a statewide referendum.</p>
<p><em>HT RWW reader Elaine.</em></p>
Brian TashmanC4nullificationUtahFighting the Right49886Wed, 04 Feb 2015 13:35:00 -0400nullificationArizona Attorney General Tom Horne Hobnobs With Radical Nullificationistshttp://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/arizona-attorney-general-tom-horne-hobnobs-radical-nullificationists
<img class="imagefield imagefield-field_teaser_astory" width="390" height="250" alt="" src="http://www.pfaw.org/sites/default/files/images/a_story_rww/Sheriff_Richard_Mack.jpg?1397659539" />
<p>Stephen Lemons at the Phoenix New Times has <a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/08/tom_horne_cozies_up_to_richard_women_in_front_mack_and_ammon_bundy_son_of_welfare_rancher_cliven_bun.php"> come across an intriguing Facebook invitation </a> for an event tomorrow in Scottsdale, featuring nullificationist sheriff Richard Mack, anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy&rsquo;s son Ammon&hellip;.and Arizona&rsquo;s current&nbsp;attorney general, Tom Horne.</p>
<p>Horne&rsquo;s staff has confirmed to the New Times that the attorney general will be attending the &ldquo;Liberty on Tap&rdquo; event, so we can move on to questioning why Arizona&rsquo;s top law enforcement officer will be attending an event that appears to promote the radical belief that the county sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in the nation and has the power to ignore federal laws that he thinks are unconstitutional and to arrest federal law enforcement officers.</p>
<p>The invitation for the event notes that Horne will &ldquo;talk on the concept of the Constitutional County Project.&rdquo; This project seems to be a small effort to get nullificationists to take over one county in each state to run a system that ignores federal and state laws that they deem to be unconstitutional. The project is <a href="http://www.constitutionalcountyproject.org/counties">honing in on Navajo County, Arizona</a>, which they hope to turn into &ldquo;a self-sustainable county dedicated to advancing the proper role of Constitutional government, free market principles, and the defense of &lsquo;life, liberty, and property.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.libertyroundtable.com/lrt/auto-draft-514/">radio interview in June</a>, Mack discussed the Constitutional County Project, whose leaders he said he had met with, saying, "we have got to be able to sacrifice and move to where we can be united and take over a county politically."</p>
<p align="center"><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/161847518&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Mack was a <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/sheriff-richard-mack-compares-armed-nevada-ranch-protesters-rosa-parks">prominent presence</a> at the Bundy ranch during the militia standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in April and is a <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/god-and-christian-reconstructionists-larry-klayman-s-revolution">regular at anti-government events</a>. He leads the Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association, which promotes the idea of the sheriffs as the supreme law enforcement officers.</p>
<p>Cliven Bundy repeatedly said he <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/the-irony-of-cliven-bundys-unconstitutional-stand/360587/"> didn&rsquo;t recognize the authority of the federal government </a> over the federally subsidized public land on which he grazed his cattle and urged the sheriff to <a href="http://www.infowars.com/cliven-bundy-calls-on-sheriff-to-start-arresting-blm-feds/">arrest federal law enforcement officers.</a></p>
Miranda BlueArizonaC4Cliven BundyConstitutional County ProjectnullificationRichard MackTom HorneConstitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers AssociationFighting the Right47841Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:57:18 -0400nullificationUtah Man Starving Himself To Stop Same-Sex Marriageshttp://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/utah-man-starving-himself-stop-same-sex-marriages
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<p>Right-wing advocates of &ldquo;nullification&rdquo; say it is a principle by which state and county officials can simply ignore federal laws and court rulings they consider unconstitutional.&nbsp; A Utah man who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/03/utah-hunger-strike-gay-marriage_n_4537434.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices">believes</a> a federal judge acted unconstitutionally in ordering officials to permit same-sex marriage in the state has been <a href="http://www.4utah.com/story/utah-man-fasting-to-stop-same-sex-marriages/d/story/k9sjvLGmMEuBeRqG9aeObQ">fasting</a> since December 21, he <a href="http://trestinfast.blogspot.com/2013/12/utah-must-nullify.html">says</a>, and will keep doing so until state officials refuse to obey the federal judge.&nbsp; He invokes the founding fathers in his call for nullification.</p>
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<p>In an <a href="http://www.theculturalhallpodcast.com/2014/01/man-fasting-to-nullify-utah-same-sex-marriagespecial-episode/">interview</a> posted today on the Cultural Hall website, Meacham said it is &ldquo;completely pointless&rdquo; for state officials to go through the courts because they are &ldquo;packed full of activist judges that don&rsquo;t listen to the constitution.&rdquo; He has urged state officials and county clerks to defy the order. He told an interviewer he is emulating Gandhi, and said he is willing to sacrifice his life for the cause.</p>
<p>Trestin Meacham is a libertarian-leaning Navy veteran who <a href="http://www.voteutah.org/candidates/state-senate-24/trestin-meacham">ran</a> for the state senate in 2012 as a candidate for the far-right <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/organizations/constitution-party">Constitution Party</a>, which promotes biblical law. His online <a href="https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/137407/trestin-meacham#.UscC0_RDtrM">bio</a> from Project Vote Smart doesn&rsquo;t have much more information other than that he is a small business owner and Mormon, while his personal Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/trestin.meacham/about">page</a> describes his politics as &ldquo;Anti-Marxist Secessionist.&rdquo; (It lists joking pop culture references for his work and education.)</p>
<p>As a candidate he was described as a conservative blogger, though some of his blogs appear to be defunct. In his writings and postings he has demonstrated a commitment to the Tea Party&rsquo;s notion that much of what the federal government does violates the Tenth Amendment. As a candidate, he <a href="http://votesmart.org/public-statement/707788/issue-position-the-tenth-amendment#.UscM_PRDtrN">argued</a>:</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">For over a hundred years we have been drifting further and further from the government designed by our founders, to something more closely resembling the writings of Karl Marx &hellip;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">It is the duty of the State Legislatures to stand up to the federal government and take back our God-given right of self-government laid out in the Constitution. Washington is not going to reform itself. Even if we had Ronald Reagan as President, with control of both houses of Congress, it would still be heading down the wrong path. Washington is too corrupt; it will not relinquish its unconstitutional power. Reform can only come from an outside source, that source is the states.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">As a State Senator, I will oppose any further unconstitutional power grabs from Washington. I will also sponsor and support legislation, which takes back the states rightful power from our corrupt federal government.</p>
<p>Meacham claims federal courts decisions on gay marriage will lead to tyranny, ultimately forcing churches and LDS to officiate same-sex weddings:</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">I think an attack on freedom, an attack on the Constitution, affects everybody.&nbsp; If a fed judge can throw out the Constitution and the will of the people then we&rsquo;re really little better off than a Soviet satellite nation. Our freedom means nothing. They can do anything if they can do this.</p>
<p>In a 2011 comment on a story on Glenn Beck&rsquo;s The Blaze, he wrote, &ldquo;Our schools have always been places for socialist indoctrinations. The public school system is the tenth plank of the Communist Manifesto.&rdquo; An old YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/trestinmeachamorg/videos">channel</a> apparently created while he was serving in Korea includes birther material.</p>
<p>Meacham has linked to right-wing sources online promoting nullification. In today&rsquo;s interview he also appealed to the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, quoting Joseph Smith saying that saints should not follow any law that violates the Constitution.</p>
<p>Meacham has a <a href="http://trestinfast.blogspot.com/2013/12/about.html">blog</a> devoted to his fast / hunger strike as well as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/trestinfast">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TrestinMeacham1">Twitter</a> accounts.</p>
<p>The blog Meacham created to promote his fast appears to be built on the same platform as a fictional country, <a href="http://www.kherutistan.org/">Kherutistan</a>, that Meacham seems to be constructing online, complete with its own Declaration of Independence and flag. Kherutistan is a libertarian paradise, a &ldquo;heroarchy&rdquo; led by people of good character where the basic ground rule of living is for people to be excellent to one another.</p>
Peter MontgomeryLGBTMarriage EqualityMarriage EqualityMormonismnullificationTrestin MeachamUtahFighting the Right45316Fri, 03 Jan 2014 17:06:46 -0400nullificationLarry Pratt Presents 'Nullifier of the Year' Award to Sheriff Who Warned of Gun Control 'Bloodbath'http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/larry-pratt-presents-nullifier-year-award-sheriff-who-warned-gun-control-bloodbath
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<p>Gun Owners of America director Larry Pratt is a big fan of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group of Tenther county sheriffs who have declared that they answer directly to the Constitution (or their interpretation of it), rather than to the federal government. Unsurprisingly, the organization and the movement it represents have&nbsp;<a href="http://cspoa.org/sheriffs-gun-rights/">grown substantially </a>during the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/?single_page=true">presidency of Barack Obama</a>.<br />
<br />
Pratt often praises the Constitutional Sheriffs in his speeches, and was a <a href="http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/constitutional-sheriff-of-the-year-goes-to/">guest of honor</a> at their annual convention last week, where he presented the &ldquo;High Noon Award&rdquo; to the Milwaukee County Sheriff who took out an ad urging people to arm themselves<a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170727538/milwaukee-sheriff-advises-residents-to-arm-themselves"> rather than calling 911</a>. Pratt also presented the &ldquo;Nullifier of the Year&rdquo; award to Sheriff Denny Peyman of Jackson County, Kentucky, who has announced that he will not enforce federal gun laws in his county, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/denny-peyman-kentucky_n_2472119.html">warning </a>that there would be a &ldquo;bloodbath in our community when they come in to take guns.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
Pratt himself summed up the gist of the Constitutional Sheriffs movement when he<a href="http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/constitutional-sheriff-of-the-year-goes-to/#1cZmFoz478ihKVbm.99"> told WND</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>There is a misconception in our time that the court somehow is the arbiter of what is constitutional; that&rsquo;s not true!</strong> Every official that raises their right hand and says they&rsquo;re going to adhere to the constitution, seek to protect it to the best of their ability, &lsquo;so help me God&rsquo; &ndash; that&rsquo;s something that they&rsquo;re all obligated to do.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The nullification movement is growing in popularity in conservative state legislatures &ndash; for instance, Kansas has<a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/06/18085674-kansas-justice-department-on-nullification-collision-course?lite"> passed a law</a> declaring that "Any act, law, treaty, order, rule or regulation of the government of the United States which violates the second amendment to the constitution of the United States is null, void and unenforceable in the state of Kansas."<br />
<br />
The nullification concept dates back to South Carolina Sen. John C. Calhoun, who argued that if the federal government did not allow a southern states to &ldquo;nullify&rdquo; an 1828 tariff act, they would be within their rights to secede from the Union. Historian Cody Carlson <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865568961/This-week-in-history-John-C-Calhoun-and-the-Nullification-Crisis.html?pg=all">explains</a>, &ldquo;The unspoken fear, of course, was that if the federal government could levy a tariff to profoundly alter the economy of the South, was the institution of slavery safe from federal interference? Could not the North, in the guise of instituting new economic policies, virtually prohibit slavery?&rdquo;<br />
<br />
David Gans of the Constitutional Accountability Center, <a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/08/18129393-back-to-basics-on-nullification?lite">via Steve Benen</a>, explains why nullification has long been discredited:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Nullification was a 19th century theory, identified most closely with South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun, based on the notion that the states created the Constitution and retained the power to determine whether the federal government complied with limitations on its power. <strong>This theory has been universally rejected throughout the course of American history by the courts as inconsistent with the Constitution. As the Constitution's preamble makes clear, 'We the People,' not the states, 'ordain[ed] and establish[ed] th[e] Constitution.'</strong></p>
<p>The Constitution's Supremacy Clause provides that federal law is the 'supreme Law of the Land,' and Article III of the Constitution gives to the federal judiciary the power to decide "all cases arising under the Constitution.' States, thus, cannot simply declare that the acts of the federal government are null and void. But, despite the rock-solid arguments against nullification, state governments continue to press the idea that they have the power to treat certain federal laws as null and void. These arguments, while not new, have no basis in the Constitution."</p>
</blockquote>
Miranda BlueC4Gun Owners of Americagun violenceLarry PrattnullificationConstitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers AssociationFighting the Right43243Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:04:08 -0400nullification